Yesterday it was P (in the Guardian), today it is O for a word having the same meaning wherever it appears in the clues.
After the party we have the opera (usually it is the other way round). Fortunately, all bar one (3dn) can be considered general knowledge (at least for me) so once the theme had been determined the puzzle became much easier. The first thing that came into my mind when I read the preamble was ‘opera’ and this was quickly confirmed by 1dn (I started with the down clues as I often do).
The usual mix of Cinephile’s unique style, including an anagram indicator (barbarous) that I hadn’t met before, resulted in a pleasant solve.
Across
1 TORPID DIP (sink) ROT (rubbish) reversed
5 FALSTAFF *(SALT) in FAFF (dither) – an opera by Giuseppe Verdi
9 RED GIANT *(TREADING)
10 MOSCOW MOS (doctors) COW (are intimidating)
11 BLUISH I (one) in BLUSH (red)
14 CARPET SNAKES CARPET (reprimand) SNAKES (those bringing one down on board)
18 AMBIDEXTROUS AM (early hours) BIDE (remain) X (unknown) TROUS[seau] (some clothes)
22 TURANDOT AND in *(TUTOR) – an opera by Giacomo Puccini
25 CARMEN dd – an opera by Georges Bizet
26 FEUDAL FEUD (vendetta) AL[l] (nearly everyone) &lit
27 IOLANTHE [v]IOL (stringed accompaniment) ANTHE[m] (vocal music) – an opera by Gilbert and Sullivan
28 STONE AGE ONE in STAGE (theatre)
29 YIELDS dd
Down
2 OTELLO [Guillaume] TELL in OO (loves) – Another Verdi opera and one by Gioachino Rossini
3 PAGLIACCI *(A CIG A CLIP) – an opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo
4 DRAY-HORSE YARD reversed (backyard) HORSE (a drug)
5 FATIGUE FAT (overweight) I GUE[ss] (partly surmise)
6 LIMBO LIMB (an arm or a leg) O (nothing)
7 TOSCA *(COAST) – another Puccini opera – a pleasing allusion to the Barbary Coast
8 FLOUNDER d&cd
13 VAN dd
15 STOICALLY hidden in ‘comeS TO I CALL You’
16 ASSURANCE ASS (twit) U (upper class) RAN (managed) CE (church)
17 IMPUDENT IMP[r]UDENT (rash surrendering right)
19,12 DON GIOVANNI DONG (sound of bell) O[ut] (out leader) in IVAN (Russian) NI (Ulster) – an opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
20 TITMICE MT (mountain) IT reversed ICE (glacier)
21 METHOD dd
23 AIDAN AIDA (O) N (name) – a third Verdi opera
24 DELTA d&cd – ref. a river mouth
Thanks, Gaufrid.
Nice puzzle, after the party yesterday.
In 18ac, I read TROUS as being some of ‘trousers’ but I’m not putting a case for it – TROUSSEAU works just as well!
Hi Eileen
In 18ac I went with ‘trousseau’ because its definition is “the clothes …..” whereas ‘trousers’ (or ‘trouse’ or ‘trouses’) is a “a garment …..”. When referring to more than one surely it is customary to say ‘pairs of trousers’.
Hi Gaufrid
I liked the (presumably intended) Monty Python reference in 16 down (remember the “Upper Class Twit of the Year”?)
How are SNAKES “those bringing one down on board”? I guessed that it was a reference to the children’s board game Snakes and Ladders.
Hi Agentzero
Sorry but the Monty Python reference means nothing to me but I am sure you are right, as you are about the board game.